9 tips for successful networking

• Posted by Robert McIntosh

It’s no surprise that when you read articles like Nine Tips for Networking for Business Success they apply nicely to the job search—as in nine tips for networking for job search success. This is because the job search is like running a business…namely yours. That’s right, you have a marketing campaign which heavily relies on your ability to network your way to the perspective buyer, the employer.
So when one of my LinkedIn contacts shared with me the aforementioned article by Kaarina Dillabough, I thought, this sounds similar to networking for job search success. And when Kaarina Dillabough asks in her article for suggestions for other networking tips, I thought, instead I will offer some networking tips for the job search.

1. You don’t have to like it, but you have to do it. Networking is not everyone’s favorite idea of spending an evening. To some it causes anxiety and utter fear—not just for the introverts, mind you. So get over the idea that you have to like it and remember the times your mother told you sometimes you have do things you don’t like.
2. Call it what it is, Connecting. Related to tip # 1, the word “connecting” seems gentler and more accurate. When you connect with someone, it’s more than a physical face-to-face encounter. With a connection there’s warmth and sense of accomplishment.
3. Make it natural for your sake and the sake of others. I hate to say this, but that 15, 30, 60 second commercial is not what people want to hear in most instances. At a natural connecting encounter (on the side of a soccer field, for example) the person with whom you’re speaking will be abhorred if you go into your memorized personal commercial. Relax and let the conversation unwind slowly and naturally.
4. Don’t forget about the little guy. - Tips 4 - 9 and complete article